


rudolph

by writerblender



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, M/M, here's the party celebrating christmas and two boys being soft !!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 13:09:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17142347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writerblender/pseuds/writerblender
Summary: "You want me to invite him to Joyce's Christmas dinner, huh?" Steve asks, still staring out the front of the car.Next to him, Jane wiggles in her seat with excitement, curls bouncing as she nods.[billy's first christmas with the party, written for the harringrove holiday fic exchange!]





	rudolph

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ameliesfish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ameliesfish/gifts).



It all starts over dinner. Jane has made a spectacle of pushing around the vegetables on her plate and Billy lets her for a few minutes before he finally probes the possibly reactive topic of what's on her mind. He knows that there are some things that he can't solve; lab coats and experiments and bad men, a whole universe that he's still dipping his toes in and navigating blindly. Then again, there's a whole world that Jane has never experienced, that she's running just as blind into, and he's one of the few people who can help her through. He feels then, it's almost his job to ask.

"What?" He barks it out harsher than he means it and meets sharp, curious eyes in response.

"What's Christmas?"

"I don't know. We celebrated Hannukah when I was your age, kid.”

"Hannah-kuh?" Jane struggles and Billy smiles, brief but genuine.

"Hannukah," he repeats. "The point is - we don't celebrate Christmas in my house."

"Lie," Jane says immediately. She looks like she's still playing with the earlier word in her mouth, still puzzled with its pronunciation. Billy wishes she'd read his mind to figure out her new words instead of using it to unearth his past, memory by repressed memory.

" _I_  don't celebrate Christmas," Billy corrects himself and while Jane doesn't look pleased with his answer, she doesn't protest. Billy leans forward, snatching a carrot from her plate.

"Eat the rest and I'll let you have those Eggos in the freezer."

His bargaining seems to work as Jane frowns through her required eating. When she knocks the last one to the ground, right off her plate, with her mind, she claims she dropped it. Billy still thankful enough that she's dropped the subject that he pretends, for both their sakes, that he didn't see.

...

Steve is seated in his car, waiting for Dustin and Will to finish up their final game of Pac-Man, which he assumes will actually be ten and take another twenty minutes, which means another three songs passed on his cassette and two less cigarettes in his pack. When the door to his car opens, he expects to hear Dustin and Will still yelling about who is a better controller of the joystick and destroyer of pixelated enemies and turns, already demanding Dustin get in the backseat where he's supposed to be, when the words die in his throat.

"Jane? I thought Hop was coming to pick you up today."

Jane points to Hopper's truck across the parking lot wordlessly. Steve nods, waiting for her to continue. He knows that the best things with Jane come with patience. She's a girl of few words but her words mean enough to listen to.

"Billy celebrates Hannah-kuh," Jane says quietly.

"Do you mean Hannukah?"

Jane nods. "Hannah-kuh," she repeats and Steve beams at her.

"His mom was Jewish," Steve says. "Why?"

"Hop said he won't celebrate Christmas with us," Jane says, pout spreading across her face with each words. Steve sighs, knowing where this conversation is going without Jane continuing. His relationship with Billy has been rocky when it came to the rest of the group; with the except of Jane and Will, it's been difficult to convince the rest of the party to warm up to Billy. They're a hard crowd to sway and Steve's found it easier to be selective when it comes to the events that Billy attends. Holidays are something that they haven't even approached in conversation, let alone tried before.

"You want me to invite him to Joyce's Christmas dinner, huh?" Steve asks, still staring out the front of the car.

Next to him, Jane wiggles in her seat with excitement, curls bouncing as she nods.

"Jane... I don't know if that's a good idea. He doesn't even celebrate Christmas with his own family," Steve protests.

"But we're his family!" Jane cries, voice rising at the idea of her plan not working. "Bad men are  _not_ family."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Steve breathes, running both hands over his face as he thinks. He knows Neil and Susan are the farthest thing from what Billy considers family - that his home is more of a prison than anything else. Still, he doesn't know if the party is truly considered his family yet either. He's stuck in the gap between them and Steve is afraid one misstep might fracture him from both. When he looks over at Jane again, she's staring at him with the widest doe eyes he's even seen. He sighs again, shaking his head. He knows Jane's won him over and she knows it too. This is their chance to finally add Billy to the party, whether he wants to admit it or not.

"Fine, fine, I'll invite him," Steve concedes.

The lock on Jane's side of the door snaps open as she beams.

...

"It’s fuckin’ stupid, Harrington."

Steve sighs, sitting down next to Billy on Joyce's front porch steps. Without a word, Billy offers him the rest of his cigarette and Steve takes it just as quietly, enjoying the silent ritual as they pass the cigarette back and forth between each other. After a few moments like this, Billy runs a hand over his face, sighing softly.

"This whole idea was stupid," he repeats. "I'm sticking out like fuckin' Rudolph in there."

Steve can't help the snort that travels past his nose and Billy offers only a small, half-appreciative smile in his direction. Steve grabs Billy's free hand, the only one not holding a cigarette stump, and presses a soft kiss to the back of Billy's knuckles.

"Rudolph ended up saving the day," Steve prods softly and Billy only scoffs in response. "They love you here. They practically begged you to come."

" _Jane_  begged me to come," Billy corrects him and Steve shakes his head quickly.

"They all did. Max is happy that you're out of the house and you know how much Will looks up to you."

"Dustin and Mike are currently betting who can get a good swing at my junk first," Billy protests and Steve snorts, leaning in closer to let Billy rest his head on his shoulder. He bends down, pressing a kiss to the top of Billy's head, and Billy lets out a low breath, relaxing into his side.

"I won't let them," Steve assures him, lips still pressed against his hairline. "The great Steve Harrington is your personal bodyguard."

Billy snorts into shirt and Steve beams at him, leaning in to kiss the younger boy. However, they're interrupted before any contact can be made by the loud band of Joyce's screen door opening.

"Billy! Steve! C'mon! We need you for our D&D quest! Right, Lucas?" Will cries, breath puffing white in the cold night Indiana air. His eyes are bright with excitement and only widen when he realizes what he's interrupted. "Oh! I - uh -."

"Yeah, I _guess_ we could use a narrator," Lucas huffs over Will's shoulder, giving them a knowing and annoyed look. Steve hides a smile behind Billy's head.

"It's okay, Will. We'll be inside in a sec, okay?" Steve assures him.

"Yeah, go along, Byers. Before you freeze those fingers off," Billy snaps and Will smiles, knowing the annoyed snark is only to hide the caring side Billy’s saved away for the people he loves. He hurries inside, practically tripping over Lucas to do so, but his rush for quiet is only successful for a few, short seconds before the door re-opens. Jane stands in Will’s place, huge smile on her face and frame dwarfed in Billy's jean jacket.

"Billy, look!" She cries, doing a celebratory spin in it. As she does so, she showcases the several pins now added to the front pocket and back of the jacket, clearly put on while Billy was outside. "Do you like it?"

"Jane, no!" Nancy cries from inside, opening the door and grabbing her shoulder. "You're supposed to _wait_ to show him. Christmas gifts get opened by the person you _give_ them to," she says gently and Jane's eyes widen in horror.

"Oops," is the only noise as Jane rushes inside, ushered by a giggling Nancy. It's only a few seconds of silence before Billy and Steve dissolve into laughter at Jane's honest mistake. It’s another few minutes of quiet words and soft touches and two more cigarettes before Steve and Billy both stand, hands still intertwined.

"Hargrove! You got any cigarettes left out there?" Hopper yells from inside.

"Do _not_ give him any, sweetie!" Joyce yells back instantly and Steve only shakes his head, pulling him closer towards the door.

"C'mon, babe, it looks like Santa needs Rudolph," Steve teases and Billy leans forward, capturing Steve in a quick kiss before they finally get inside.

"Merry Christmas, Harrington."

Steve grins into the kiss. "Merry Christmas, Billy."

**Author's Note:**

> this was written for the very lovely ameliesroaminggnome (on tumblr) within the harringrove holiday exchange !! hope you enjoy, friend !
> 
> sorry if there's any typos, i own 'em!
> 
> happy holidays everyone !!
> 
>  
> 
> i'm back on bullshit on tumblr @ wndasmaximoffs


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